Toyana headed for a rough innings
● Following an appalling season the coaching set-up at the Highveld Lions looks set for a shake up.
The person likely to be most affected by the house cleaning is head coach Geoff Toyana, whose contract with the underperforming franchise expires next April.
The Lions were knocked out of both white-ball formats before the play-offs and they started this weekend’s last round of the domestic four-day matches in last place on the points table.
It has been mooted that the new coaching structure may be spearheaded by a director of cricket, but a consensus on the matter will prove a challenge for a franchise still recovering from the faction-driven infighting as a result of the Cricket SA bonus scandal.
A source who did not want to be named said former Proteas batsman and Lions stalwart Neil McKenzie, national selector Hussein Manack and SA u-19 coach Lawrence Mahatlane were candidates for the position.
Should Toyana retain his job he will have to report to the director of cricket. His position, however, seems precarious.
Gauteng Cricket Board chief executive Greg Fredericks was as vague as he could possibly be when pressed on the matter. “Anything can still happen. All the options are still on the table for the Lions board. We have a process that has to run its course and we are really looking at various options.
“I think the process will probably conclude in a week’s time. I really want the matter to be dealt with by then,” said an exasperated Fredericks.
It is understood the board wants to take decisive action to arrest the Lions’ alarming slide this summer. Apart from the poor results the Lions also recently lost some marquee players with Toyana in charge.
In recent seasons Chris Morris and Quinton de Kock have moved to the Titans, while Temba Bavuma left for Cape Town. Whether he feels settled there is a matter for debate.
It is rumoured the Lions could potentially also lose rising Proteas allrounder Wiaan Mulder.
Toyana’s detractors will also point to the fact that the franchise’s match-fixing scandal happened on his watch.
Not too long ago, however, Toyana was held in high regard and there were even suggestions he would take over from former Proteas coach Russell Domingo as national coach. His stock, however, has since plummeted.
Toyana’s reign as head coach of the Lions started with a bang in the 2012/13 season when the franchise’s five-year trophy drought was broken. The Lions captured the domestic T20 competition, shared the spoils in the one-day cup and finished runners-up in the four-day competition.
The only other trophy the team has since won is the Momentum Cup in 2015/16.